1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to improved electronic mail distribution systems and in particular to an improved method and system for retrieving and storing electronic mail addresses. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for automatically retrieving and storing electronic mail addresses from electronic mail items transferred to or received from an electronic mail distribution system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many organizations interconnect private networks at various cities utilizing a public network in order to provide data transfer between private networks. For example, an organization having multiple geographic cites may allow electronic mail to be transmitted between the cites through the interconnection of the networks which is commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9cInternet.xe2x80x9d The Internet requires TCP/IP addressing but allows for system level and user level aliases to be utilized in order to provide a more intuitive addressing of messages. An organization must maintain its database of aliases to ensure the proper delivery of electronic mail message traffic within that organization.
Such electronic mail systems may interconnect personal computers and data terminals in a communications network in order to transmit messages as mail. There are, in addition to the Internet, various electronic mail systems for exchanging messages as electronic mail through various media. For example, communication systems are often utilized as the parent bodies for voice mail systems, facsimile mail systems, etc., while computer systems are typically utilized as the parent bodies for so-called electronic mail systems utilizing encoded characters such as text mail, personal computer communication systems, etc.
As computer networks have become more complex and complicated, so too have the addresses for electronic mail. Addresses for different types of electronic mail systems often require different syntaxes for specifying the necessary information. A syntax specifies how the pieces of information comprising the electronic mailing addresses are to be utilized and expressed. If a user departs from a given syntax utilized by that particular computer mail system, the electronic mail item will not reach its intended recipient. Mail systems differ both in the information they require as part of an address and the manner in which that information must be specified. Thus, when a user wishes to send an electronic mail, the user must not only know the destination address, but also the proper syntax for that computer network.
In view of the increased complexity of electronic mail addresses, many current electronic mail applications maintain an address list which is generated by a user who manually enters the electronic mail addresses which are most often utilized. This address list can be compared to the speed dial feature on telephones where the most utilized or emergency numbers are programmed into the telephone for later use. Like the speed dial feature on a telephone, the address list requires the user to enter data manually, which may take some time. Many organizations seek to reduce this time and improve communication between their employees by providing a company-wide address list. This method helps but with larger companies the list can become quite large and a substantial period of time to locate and identify a particular address. Thus, electronic mail users in the modern computer world generally address electronic mail by either remembering the address to which they wish to send a mail item, searching through a personal address list or searching through a pre-made address list for a particular organization.
Additionally, users often maintain so called xe2x80x9caliasxe2x80x9d lists which include a more intuitive name for an individual or a group of individuals which is then automatically decoded by the electronic mail distribution system into appropriate electronic mail addresses. While this technique provides an increased level of facility in replying to electronic mail messages or transmitting messages to groups or individuals designated with an alias by the user, this technique often results in increased complexity when a user is attempting to transmit a new electronic mail item to an individual only known to the sender by an alias which may not be present within that user""s address list.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for a method and system whereby electronic mail addresses may be automatically and efficiently maintained within a computer system.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic mail distribution system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for retrieving and storing electronic mail addresses.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for automatically retrieving and storing electronic mail addresses from electronic mail items which are transferred to or received from an electronic mail distribution system.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. A method and system are disclosed for automatic electronic mail address maintenance in a data processing system which is coupled to an electronic mail distribution system. An electronic mail processing application is utilized to process electronic mail transferred to or received from the electronic mail distribution system. Each time an electronic mail item is processed within the electronic mail processing application, electronic mail addresses are automatically retrieved and stored within the data processing system. Group or alias address are resolved by automatically accessing the electronic mail distribution system to obtain the appropriate electronic mail address. The retrieved electronic mail addresses may then be displayed by a user together with or separate from an existing address list. These automatically retrieved electronic mail addresses may then be displayed alphabetically, in data sequence or by frequency of transmission or receipt to or from designated electronic mail addresses.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.